Howdy from Havana ,Illinois.

Down in a rural area of Lewistown township in section 29 lies the land that once belonged to area farmers in the family which they had for  about 90 years. What I do know of it Thomas May had purchased this land possibly from Ira Scovel whoses daughter he would marry.  Ira had property of his own also in the area in a different section a few miles away. All of them are buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Lewistown and only their names remain on old maps and a mention in one of the old Fulton County history books. The farm has been long torn down and while someone has built a home and farm in the vicinity it's mostly just fields and wooded areas now.  This lies off of Scovill Road west of Lewistown several miles.  I've seen the name Scovel misspelled so many times it's not funny. Ira Scovel owned land in Section 19 and Thomas May owned some in Section 29  and a small section of Section 30 at one time.  There is a old school house on Scovill Hill road the May's mi...

One of the railroads I really want to see more of and get more familiar with is the TP&W Railroad which is a shortline that runs from Peoria east to Indiana.  I've only filmed them a few times and photographed them a hand full of times. My problem is never being over there the sametime they are in the Peoria area and as far as I'm willing to go Eureka....( the joys of a gas budget).  Anyways in various groups see people posting from various towns in eastern Illinois and sometimes from Eureka and westward. The TP&W used to run west to Iowa but sold their western section over a decade ago to Pioneer Rail Corp who has Keokuk Junction Railways running that segment. The TP&W does continue to run as far as Mapleton to some facilities in that area so they share track with KJRY and you can see some movement or see a locomotive parked across the road from the KJRY shop.  I have filmed them in East Peoria a few times.  I regret not going to Farmdale Road during one...

I am restless and yearning to railfan something different than the same old stuff but am limited on what i can do so looking for areas I have yet to railfan within my part of the state.  I am also on the look out for events or something special to go film or photograph.  For me this is relaxation and it gets my mind of of stuff as well as away from it.  I have always had a fascination with trains as long as i can remember.  My father said it started when i was like two or three  and he never discouraged me.  He didn't care when we moved near the tracks if i ran down and watched TP&W. He once told me he and his brother would have snowball fights with the engineer of a train and at that time it was steam locomotives.  I can't remember what line he said that was.  He called CB&Q/BN line the Q even after the merger.  He was from the time when there was steam locomotives which started switching over to diesel.  He seen our town with ...